Arrowhead may sell carbon nanotube unit

http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212000400
Mark LaPedus
EE Times
(11/04/2008 12:22 HΠEST)


SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Arrowhead Research Corp. has provided an update on its carbon nanotube unit-- Unidym--saying that it may sell the operation.

''Arrowhead currently owns more than 53 percent of Unidym and has a number of options for monetizing its investment, including the commercialization of (carbon nanotubes) in its various applications and pursuing strategic alternatives through the sale of the company,'' said Christopher Anzalone, chief executive of Arrowhead (Pasadena, Calif.), in a long letter to shareholders.


Arrowhead is a nanotechnology holding company that seeks to monetize disruptive technologies through its majority-owned subsidiaries. Unidym makes carbon nanotubes, a novel material with electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties.


Unidym is shipping some product. It has said that Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is demonstrating color active-matrix electrophoretic display (EPD) with carbon nanotube electrodes


Recently, Arrowhead provided an update to stockholders on another subsidiary, Agonn Systems Corp.


Agonn is developing an ultracapacitor product that has the benefits of traditional ultracapacitors with a usable energy density similar to advanced lithium ion batteries. Specifically, Agonn is prototyping and testing different electrode architectures based on carbon nanomaterials as well as metal nitride nanoparticles.


''If Agonn demonstrates an ability to reliably fabricate high-performance ultracapacitors, Arrowhead intends to lead a Series A round of equity investment into Agonn. The capital in the Series A round would be used to install a management team experienced in commercializing novel energy storage products and produce large format prototypes for customer evaluation,'' Anzalone said in a recent letter.

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